Tabnak – As Iran and Turkey are increasingly finding common grounds on the most critical regional issues, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Tehran for high-level talks. According to the reports, the Kurdish issue as well as the situation in Syria are at the top of his agenda in his meetings with Iranian officials.
According to Press TV, Erdogan is accompanied by a high-ranking delegation of four Turkish cabinet ministers of economy, energy, customs and culture as well as Turkish investors and business owners.
Apart from political issues, bilateral economic ties will top the agenda of the planned talks between the Iranian and Turkish officials. The two countries have also taken measures to forge closer military cooperation.
Erdogan’s visit, his second in three years, comes at a critical juncture on the regional political stage. Both Iran and Turkey have raised concerns about a secession push by Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
In this vein, just prior to Erdogan’s visit, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar visited Tehran, where he sat down for talks with senior Iranian officials, including President Rouhani and Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami. Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri also held talks with his Turkish counterpart.
Addressing reporters following the meeting, Baqeri pointed to common threats against Iran and Turkey and said the two countries have "common and similar” positions on the recent independence referendum held in the Kurdistan region and believe that it was unacceptable.
The top Turkish commander, for his part, said Iran and Turkey agreed to continue the fight against terrorism and increase security in border areas and added that the two countries would boost military cooperation.
Separately, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic is opposed to disintegration of Iraq and any change in the country’s geographical borders. "We regard the secessionist move in Iraq as detrimental to security of the region,” Hatami said.
The Kurdistan Regional Government has come under international scrutiny for holding an independence referendum slammed by Baghdad as unconstitutional. Major regional and international parties have voiced serious concern over the secessionist move, saying it would compound the problems of the country, which is already busy with counter-terrorism operations against ISIS terrorist group.
Apart from the Kurdish issue, it should be noted that Iran and Turkey, along with Russia, have also been mediating a peace process between the warring sides in Syria aimed at ending the deadly crisis plaguing the Arab state. Thus, this issue is also expected to be on the agenda of Erdogan’s talks with the Iranian officials.
